Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The group is very welcome here. I wish to raise a couple of issues. Yesterday a report was released on teacher participation rates by people from various social groups and nationalities. The issue is fundamental, particularly for students who come from a disadvantaged background because many of the students desire to become teachers.

I have a general question on the support available for a master's education as it is the structure that teaching is moving towards. The length of the course, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, is likely to be four years plus two years. Have the witnesses given any thought to the implications of the changes in terms of income capacity and cost implications for students from middle class backgrounds? Such parents might not have a lot of spare money to pay the fee for a master's course. It might be helpful if the witnesses can indicate what the likely level of fees will be in terms of the two years it will take for a master's course in order to qualify in education?

Information technology is another issue for teachers in schools. I wish to refer to the preparedness of teachers to teach courses to students who wish to participate in the sector.

In respect of universities and all of the third level sector, we need a fresh focus on links between colleges, experience of what modern jobs are, and to know whether students may develop an interest in same. Some colleges focus a lot on this aspect while others have less focus. If terms of students from a disadvantaged background, very often there is a knowledge gap in their homes and communities about what many modern jobs are like. To be honest, I do not think career guidance counselling is particularly well able to fill the gap or necessarily appropriate to fill the gap. One needs to meet somebody who can say what a job is like because it may be a very new job, particularly if it is in STEM, IT or a similar area. Having had an opportunity to become knowledgeable about such a job a student could then say: "Well, I might like to do this job and I am well able to do so." Other people could then encourage that person. There is a knowledge gap. Certainly, I have met students or graduates who at the start of the downturn in Ireland found themselves unexpectedly unemployed having, as they constantly say, done everything right. They had a good leaving certificate and secured a good qualification from a university. From my own experience of third level, many of them were extremely impressive people. Thankfully there has been an improvement in employment rates and graduate recruitment is very strong in all of the colleges and universities.

If it is possible to reflect on that experience, it should happen. That is particularly in respect of people coming from backgrounds where there might not be a lot of knowledge. One of the big differences I see between private schools and State schools nowadays is that very often parents in private schools have an intensive programme through the parents' council of knowledge dissemination about jobs, opportunities and how to do it. That is a stand out. A lot of schools, including a lot of DEIS schools, are trying to develop such programmes but I wonder if the witnesses have thought about the university presence. I have been involved in a lot of access programmes, many of which are good, but there is still a confidence thing missing that is not transmitted around people being able to pick up and do a particular course and then have a particular career.

The other thing I wanted to ask about was the whole issue of teaching support in third level. We are moving to larger classes generally in many institutions and I do not have a problem with that. However, I ask about the tutor support plus the support in terms of different forms of assessment whether by essay or examination. The opportunity for students to write is important. Where is that at the moment? Overall, in terms of the move to more students doing postgraduate courses, how do the witnesses look at that from a financial point of view, in particular, within their institutions and from the perspective of students?